There are treasures within this little red dot, if you know where to look.
One precious find we’re sharing with you are 8 places to eat authentic dialect cuisines for that familiar taste of family and home. Some of these are Michelin-winning food, some are your humble eateries tucked into your neighbourhoods, but they all offer food from their heart and soul. Let’s dig in!
1. Summer Pavilion: One Michelin-star Cantonese cuisine
Summer Pavilion is the only Chinese hotel restaurant in Singapore to receive a star in the Michelin Guide Singapore for four consecutive years since 2016.
The Cantonese are well-known for their expertise in cooking double-boiled soups, and this place is no exception. Some of their mouth-watering soups include the double-boiled superior bird’s nest served in whole coconut, as well as the double-boiled sea whelk soup with fish maw and chicken served in a whole coconut.
Photo from Summer Pavilion Facebook, photo by @tjang.fonda Photo from Summer Pavilion Facebook
Some of the chef Cheung Siu Kong’s signature dishes are barbecued Iberico pork with honey sauce, and marinated South African abalone with roasted sesame dressing. Popular favourites include the poached rice with lobster, and diced Japanese wagyu beef.
Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, 7 Raffles Ave, Singapore 039799 (map)
Opening hours: Daily 11.30–2.30pm and 6.30–10.30pm
Delivery: Oddle
You can check out their website for more information.
2. Beng Thin Hoon Kee Restaurant 茗珍奋记菜馆: Authentic Fujian cuisine since 1949
As one of the oldest Hokkien restaurants in Singapore, the reason as to why Beng Thin Hoon Kee Restaurant is still here today is nothing less than great taste. Beng Thin was founded in 1949 by Mr Lim Yew Hoon, a migrant from China who first served the local Fujian community from a shophouse on Hokkien Street.
Photos from Beng Thin Hoon Kee Restaurant Facebook Photos from Beng Thin Hoon Kee Restaurant Facebook
Their signature selections include the oyster omelette, prawn ball ngo hiang, Fujian fried noodle, and braised pork bun. Popular choices include the fish maw soup – we’ve heard that they have arguably the best oyster omelette, so be sure to give it a taste!
Location: 65 Chulia St, #05-02 OCBC Centre, Singapore 049513 (map)
Opening hours: Daily, 11.30am–3pm and 6–10pm
Delivery: For delivery orders, please call 65337708 or 65332818
For the latest updates, check out their Facebook here or look at the menu at their website.
3. Beng Hiang Restaurant 茗香菜馆: Authentic Hokkien fare since 1978
Photo from Beng Hiang Restaurant Facebook Photo from Beng Hiang Restaurant Facebook
Beng Hiang Restaurant is one of the most famous and popular Hokkien restaurants in Singapore, with quality food that lives up to their reputation. They have recently moved to Jurong East after their stay at Amoy Street.
Signature dishes include their traditional Hokkien noodle, fish maw soup with crab meat, “Kong Ba Bao” (braised pork with bun), and braised duck with sea cucumber. Their crispy oyster omelette is also a must-try – everyone who frequents here orders it. They also have a variety of desserts such as the longan almond jelly, yam cake, and pulut hitam.
Location: 135 Jurong Gateway Rd, #02-337, Singapore 600135 (map)
Opening hours: Daily, 11.30am–3pm and 6–10pm
Delivery: Deliveroo, Foodpanda, Grab Food
For more information, check out their Facebook or their website for the full menu.
4. Pang’s Hakka Noodles 小彭客家面: Authentic Hakka delicacies and snacks
Photos from Pang’s Hakka Delicacies Facebook Photo from Pang’s Hakka Delicacies Instagram
This is undoubtedly one of the most well-known places where you can get authentic Hakka noodles. The former award-winning chef Pang Kok Keong closed his French patisserie restaurant Antoinette in June last year due to increasing levy costs, and decided to open a casual noodle stall known as Pang’s Hakka Noodles. Even before then, however, he had already been experimenting how to incorporate Hakka snacks with his western menu, which he briefly launched at Pang’s Hakka Delicacies, a smaller pop-up stall at Penhas Road.
You absolutely cannot miss out tasting his Signature Hakka Noodle with its springy wheat noodles tossed in a fragrant mixture of homemade minced pork sauce, shallot, and garlic oil. The stall also offers Hakka yong tau foo and fried chicken wings.
Location: 102 Henderson Road, SproutHub Singapore, Singapore 159562 (map)
Opening hours: Daily, 11am–7pm
Delivery: Link here
Chef Pang said that he had been conducting a lot of research on Hakka food over the past few years, both locally and overseas, as he couldn’t find authentic Hakka noodles here. He often visits another famous Hakka noodle store, Plum Village Restaurant 梅酒村家, for inspiration.
5. Plum Village Restaurant 梅酒村家: Specialty Hakka cuisine since 1980s
Photo from Plum Village Restaurant Facebook Photo from Time Out
Plum Village Restaurant is one of the few specialty restaurants serving Hakka cuisine (it is also one of Singapore’s oldest Hakka restaurants). Chef Pang from Pang’s Hakka Noodles sometimes meets with the 74-year-old owner and chef Mr Lai Fak Nian, his senior and friend, to discuss and learn more about Hakka cooking – they’ve even appeared on a documentary episode together on Mediacorp’s meWATCH.
Must-trys include the iconic Hakka yong tau foo, of which they have three versions that come in one set. Some signature Hakka cuisines include the lei cha and abacus beads (a gnocchi-like, chewy delicacy made from yam and starch). The Hakka mei cai kou rou, or braised pork belly with preserved vegetables, is also a popular choice.
Location: 16 Jalan Leban, Singapore 577554 (map)
Opening hours: Daily, 11.30am–2.30pm and 5.30–10pm
Delivery: Call 64589005
6. Min Jiang: Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine since 1982
The award-winning Min Jiang restaurant is hidden within Goodwood Park Hotel, with a second outlet called Min Jiang at Dempsey. Established in 1982 and named after the Min River in the Sichuan province of China, Min Jiang restaurant presents a lavish dining concept in exquisite taste.
Besides contemporary Sichuan and Cantonese fare, Min Jiang’s specialities include authentic Beijing Duck prepared according to an ancient Chinese recipe, dim sum, and roast meat. The Michelin guide recommends their crispy chicken, sautéed prawns with dried red chilli, hairy crab in season, as well as the hot and sour soup.
Location: Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Road, Singapore 228221 (map)
Opening hours: Mondays to Saturdays 11.30am–2.30pm, 6.30–10.30pm, Sundays 11am–2.30pm, 6.30–10.30pm
Delivery: Min Jiang at Dempsey Oddle
Check out their virtual tour of Min Jiang at Dempsey here. For more information, check out their website.
7. Huat Kee Teochew Restaurant 發记潮州: Traditional Teochew cuisine since 1969
Business began in 1969 when Lee Jee Tee named the stall Huat Kee after Lee Liat Huat, his eldest son. Lee Jee Tee was head chef at Chui Huay Lim Teochew Club’s restaurant back in the 1950s, and taught his sons how to cook from running his own hawker stall.
Since then, they’ve been serving authentic traditional Teochew cuisine for 3 generations in Singapore. Its menu features Teochew classics such as braised duck, steamed pomfret, and its famous oyster omelette.
Location: #02-01 RELC Building, 30 Orange Grove Rd, Singapore 258352 (map)
Opening hours: Daily, 11am–2.30pm and 6–10pm (they start slightly earlier at 10.30am on Sundays)
Delivery: Delivery menu here, call 64234747 or 88692888
Check out their Facebook for the latest updates and their website for the full menu.
8. Koh Brother Pig’s Organ Soup: Teochew clear soup awarded with the Michelin Bib Gourmand 2019
Koh Brother Pig’s Organ Soup started business in 1955 with Mr Koh Kee Teo selling from a simple pushcart. Since then, his son and grandson have inherited the stall. They are the first pig’s organ soup stall to be awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand 2019 and they specialise in Teochew-style clear soup.
The broth is freshly brewed for hours every day with pig’s bones. A bowl comes with a hearty serving of salted mustard vegetables, lean meat, meatballs and different offals such as kidneys, intestines, heart and tripe.
Besides soup, they also offer Teochew nuo mi chang, which are glutinous rice intestines. The stuffed glutinous rice sausage that comes with chestnuts and pork belly is also a must-order as this Teochew delicacy is difficult to find nowadays.
Location: 30 Seng Poh Road, #02-29 Tiong Bahru Food Centre Market, Singapore 168898 (map)
Opening hours: Daily (closed on Mondays), 9am–2.30pm and 5–8pm
Delivery: Grab Food and WhyQ
Check out their Facebook for the latest updates!
Nowhere Else Tastes Like Home
Sadly, two of the oldest Hainanese restaurants in Singapore (Mooi Chin Place 美珍苑 and Yet Con 逸群鸡饭) have closed over the past two years as they were unable to sustain business. This list still contains an abundance of authentic dialect cuisines to savour though, so take your pick!
If any of the eight places caught your fancy, why not order some delivery to eat in the comforts of your home to #supportlocal?
